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The news has finally become official, MMA promotion Bellator has been bought out by the PFL. First teased all the way back in July, fans and pundits have been waiting for the other shoe to drop for months now. But with an announcement from PFL chairman Donn Davis, it appears all the ‘i’s have been dotted and the ‘t’s have been crossed.
Sources close to the deal have reported that the purchasing price for Bellator was somewhere in the $200-$300M range, with Davis himself explaining that the deal was a stock trade for his company, with the PFL acquiring majority ownership of Bellator in exchange for granting Paramount a minority stake in the PFL.
Current plans are to continue running Bellator shows at least through 2024, with a limited series of international events, featuring Bellator title fights and champion vs. champion bouts. After that, it sounds like the PFL plans to expand their roster and event run in 2025. Obviously pundits have been weighing in all across the board, but here’s what the fighters had to say about the big news:
Francis Ngannou and Jake Paul weigh in
Perhaps the biggest stars to give their take on the breaking news are a pair of PFL PPV stars: Former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou and celebrity boxing star Jake Paul. Ngannou didn’t offer much more than a post of his support for social media, but Paul recorded a short video message.
“Massive news! The PFL has acquired Bellator,” Paul announced. “This is insane news for the whole entire industry and makes PFL even more of a global powerhouse; with a fight roster now equal to that of the UFC’s. We have some challenges. Let’s prove it: Their champions vs. our champions. Let’s make it happen.”
PFL & Bellator employees give their thoughts
A few of the broadcast team members from both the PFL and Bellator weighed in on the news as well.